System of storing motor road vehicles



June 18, 1929. w, L 1,717,545

SYSTEM OF STORING MOTOR ROAD VEHICLES Filed Sept. 29, 1928 Patented June18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENTQOF'FICE.

WILLIAM IVOR BELL, OF CHELSEA, LONDON, .ENGLAND.

SYSTEM 015" STORING MOTOR ROAD VEHICLES.

Application filed September 29, 1928, Serial No.

adapted to contain or hold any predeter- V mined number of units to bestored arranged either side by side or in any, other suitable andconvenient manner. platforms are capable of being moved over the floorspace in a predetermined direction and coacting with them are aplurality of travelling trucksarranged to traverse the floor space atright angles to the direction in which the travelling platforms move.

The platforms and trucks areall of one height which register with thesurrounding floor level so as to present a floor which is levelthroughoutwith the exception of the track for the truck at the timebeing used, and at one end of the platforms is an alley way in. whichthe trucks rest when out of use said space having an entrance at one endand an exit at the other end, the floor spaces between the tracks forthe trucks in the alley way being on the same levelas I the floors ofthe trucks and platforms.

In order that the invention may be fully understood it will now be moreparticularly. described with reference to the accompanying drawing whichshows by way of example a lay out for a garage for road vehicles inwhich 6 travelling platforms and 41- trucks are employed.

The platforms 1 are each of such a width as will take the desired numberof pairs of cars side byside. If this number is say four each platformwill accommodate eight cars. The platforms are adapted to run on railtracks 2 which are arranged in parallel relation to one another and tothe common alley way 3. At right angles to the platform tracks 2 aretracks 4 for the travelling trucks 5 said tracks being at a distanceapart equal to substantially half the width of the platforms so thatwhen all the platforms are as far as they will go in one directionshownin the accompanying drawing to the left-the truck 5 on the extreme righthand track 4 can traverse the length of the adjacent platforms on oneside thereof. The width of the alley way These 309,284, and in GreatBritain October 12, 1927."

3 is sufiiciently wide to allow the trucks 5t be placed clearof thetrackof the adjacent I travelling platforms. Alongside the end or outsidetracks for the trucks a limited num ber of fixed platforms or spaces 6may be provided. p I

Both the platforms and the trucks may be moved by anyfsuitable meanseither manually or power operated.

If desired the trucks canbe arranged to tilt to facilitate running thecars off them on to the platform. a

It will be understood thatthe floors of the platforms, the trucks, andthe parts of the alley way between the tracks for the trucks are of thesame height, and that any number of platforms and/or trucks may be,

employed in any given floor space. J

If the store or garage is on the ground floor and the, position of; thebuilding will allow it auxiliary doors may be provided'to facilitateaccess to the trucks and/or the platforms. v a

It will be seen that. this system has the great, advantage that, if thefloor space is only partly filled thevehicles may be driven,

into and out of their storage positions without the use of thetrucksorwithout any movement of the platforms.

This system also lends itself to the lock-up system as each space on theplatforms may be provided with a lock-up cage.

WhatI claim is 1. 'In a storage system, a building,"a plurality ofparallel tracks arranged on the available floor space of said building,a plurality of parallel tracks arranged at right angles to the firstnamed tracks, platforms arranged to travel on the first named tracks,trucks arranged to travel on the second named tracks, and a common alleyway arranged parallel, with the first named tracks, the generalarrangement being such that the whole of the available floor space lessthe space required for one track and the conimon alley way is employedfor storagepurposes.

2. In a storage system, a building,a plurality of parallel tracksarranged on the available floor space of said building, a plu- I ralityof parallel tracks arranged at right angles to and crossing the firstnamed tracks,

a group of platforms arranged to travel on p the first named tracks, aplurality of trucks arranged to travel on the second named tracks, and acommon alley way arranged parallel with the first named tracks, thegeneral arrangement being such that the storage receptacles occupy theWllC lQ of the available floor space less the, space requiredfor onetrack and the common alley way.

3. Ina storage system, a building, a plurality of parallel tracksarranged on the available floor spaceof said building, a plurality ofparallel tracks arranged at right angles to and crossing the first namedtracks, a group of platforms arranged to "travel on,

, the first named tracks, a plurality of trucks arranged to travel onthe second named tracks, a plurality or" fixed storage receptaclesarranged parallel with the second named tracks, and a. common alley Wayarranged parallel With the first'named tracks, the general arrangementbeing such that the stor age receptacles occupy the who'le of theavailable floor space less the space required for one track and thecommonalley Way.

4. In a storage system, a building, a plurality'ot parllel tracksarranged on the available fioor space of said building,a plurality ofparallel tracks arranged atright angles to and crossing thefirst namedtracks,

a group of platforms arranged to travel on the first named tracks, aplurality of storage receptacles on each of said platforms, a pluralityof trucks arranged to travel on the second name-d tracks, and a commonalley way arranged parallel with the first named tracks, the generalarrangementbeing such that the storage receptacles occupy the Wholeotthe available floor space less the space Way.

second named tracks, a plurality of fixedstorage receptacles arrangedparallel with the second named tracks, and a common alley Way arrangedparallel With the lirst'named tracks, the general arrangement being suchthat the storage receptaclesoccupy the Whole of the available floorspace less the space required for one track and the common alley 6. In agarage for storage vehicles, the combination of a plurality oftravelling platforms each adapted to hold a plurality of vehicles, aplurality of travelling trucks each adapted to hold a single vehicle,said platforms and trucks being adapted and arranged to be capable ofmovement relative to each other, tracks arranged at right angles tooneanother on which such platforms and trucks move in such a manner thatthe trucks can deliver cars on to any desired platform and on to anydesired part of any .of said platforms.

W LLIAM IVOR BELL.

